ive considerations of
superiority; but the "judge" pronounced their veto. A soldier in the
Imperial Royal service, though he was merely a private in the ranks,
could not accept a challenge from civilians below the rank of notary,
secretary, hotel- or inn- keeper, and suchlike: servants and tradesmen he
must seek to punish in some other way; and they also had their appeal to
his commanding officer. So went the decision of the military tribunal,
until the Styrian, having contrived to make Beppo understand, by the
agency of a single Italian verb, that he wanted a blow, Beppo spun about
and delivered a stinging smack on the Styrian's cheek; which altered the
view of the case, for, under peculiar circumstances--supposing that he
did not choose to cut him down--a soldier might condescend to challenge
his civilian inferiors: "in our regiment," said the sergeants, meaning
that they had relaxed the stringency of their laws.

Beppo met his Styrian outside the city walls, and laid him flat. He
declined to fight a second; but it was represented to him, by the aid of
an interpreter, that the officers of the garrison were subjected to
successive challenges, and that the first trial of his skill might have
been nothing finer than luck; and besides, his adversary had a right to
call a champion. "We all do it," the soldiers assured him. "Now your
blood's up you're ready for a dozen of us;" which was less true of a
constitution that was quicker in expending its heat. He stood out against
a young fellow almost as limber as himself, much taller, and longer in
the reach, by whom he was quickly disabled with cuts on thigh and head.
Seeing this easy victory over him, the soldiers, previously quite civil,
cursed him for having got the better of their fallen comrade, and went
off discussing how be had done the trick, leaving him to lie there. A
peasant carried him to a small suburban inn, where he remained several
days oppressed horribly by a sense that he had forgotten something. When
he recollected what it was, he entrusted the captain's letter to his
landlady;--a good woman, but she chanced to have a scamp of a husband,
who snatched it from her and took it to his market. Beppo supposed the
letter to be on its Way to Pallauza, when it was in General Schoneck's
official desk; and soon after the breath of a scandalous rumour began to
circulate.

Captain Weisspriess had gone down to Camerlata, accompanied by a Colonel
Volpo, of an Austro-Italia